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What is the definition of Respite Care?

Senior Care Enfield: Respite Care is the necessary personal care, home care and dementia care that will be provided while a caregiver takes a break from difficult and burdensome tasks.

When searching online synonyms for the word respite, these are a few that come up:

breathing space

downtime;

break;

release;

On the dictionary, the definition is more specific: “a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant”.

Respite in Home Care

So, when brought to the context of home care and family caregiving, respite care means the necessary care that will be provided to your loved one while you, the caregiver, take a break from your difficult and burdensome tasks. After all, taking care of someone we love is a very rewarding experience, but also can take a toll on the family member who takes the responsibility to herself or himself.

Respite Care is one of Home Helpers popular services people search for. Through the years we have helped dozens of people in our community who were in need of short-term relief.

Respite Care doesn’t mean you have given up on your loved one. It doesn’t mean you don’t care. It means only that you are stressed and in need of a breathing space, a break, and some well-deserved rest.

Providing Alzheimer’s Care, Personal Care or Companion Care for a day, a weekend or a week.

Here are three examples of how we provided help to families in need of respite (names have been changed):

1. Alzheimer's Care in Suffield CT

John and his wife Nathalie are the caregivers of his grandmother, 87 years old, in the mid-stage of Alzheimer’s Disease. Recently, the couple decided to embark on a cruise to the Caribbean, for a week. That will give them a long-time needed break from daily work added to heavy caregiving responsibilities.

It is not possible to take gramma on the cruise: changes are very challenging to Alzheimer’s patients and being confined on a ship would be a daunting experience.

To make it possible, John hired a live-in Home Helpers caregiver to stay with gramma. The caregiver is moving in with her and will provide all the care needed. When they come back, they will have their energies restored and will be ready to continue on the journey of caring for their loved gramma.

2. Senior Care in Stafford CT

Last summer, a middle-aged woman was planning to spend a day on the beach with her husband and kids. However, they were not sure about taking her mother, who lives with them. Her mother is healthy and aware, but she has balance issues and has suffered falls in the past. She also needs assistance with eating and some personal care.

The solution they found was to hire a caregiver to go with them, so they would be able to enjoy the beach with their kids and with her mom, without having to be worried about caring for her. With the caregiver, they were able to be the family.

I still remember the joy in her voice when I called her afterward to ask how it had gone. “It was fantastic”, she said. “If I had known it would be like this, I would have done it sooner. And I sure will do it again.”

3. Home Care in Vernon CT

Earlier this year, a family from Vernon CT was invited to a wedding in Cape Cod. However, they knew that their 92-year-old grandpa's health precluded her from taking part in the road trip. They also intended to spend one night at the cape after the wedding reception, so there was a problem of who would take care of grandpa?

They had heard about Home Helpers and gave us a call. We assigned an amazing live-in caregiver to stay with grandpa, so they could travel.

The caregiver was a perfect match and she bonded with the client perfectly. She made sure he walked safely through the house, watched TV with him, prepared his meals, played cards. When they came back, he asked if the caregiver could stay longer, so much he was enjoying it.

Lower Home Care Costs

So, that’s what Home Helpers Respite Care is about. We will visit you and build together a care plan for your loved one, so you can take a necessary break. We help family caregivers who are going through stressful and difficult situations, so they can recharge their energies and avoid burnout. It could be a few hours only once, or maybe a day every week. It could be a weekend or a whole vacation week.

It is all customized, tailored to your needs, and affordable. You don’t have to sign up to a costly long-term contract. With our Respite Care plans, it is possible to seek relief when it is most needed, without incurring unnecessary expenses. From a few hours to integral care, we will design the solution that's right for you, with a caregiver that matches your loved one's needs, so you may have your well-deserved rest.

After all, it is not possible to care for someone if the caregiver is not well herself (or himself).

Each office is an independently owned and operated franchise. Personal care services provided as permitted by state law. Services may vary by each individual office location. Check with your local office for available services.